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Chris Gayle has been in superb form for Kings XI Punjab (Picture: Indian Premier League)

In Twenty20 franchise tournaments there is often a team that threatens to blow every other team away with the sheer force of its batting line-up. See Brisbane Heat in Australia’s Big Bash or early Royal Bangalore teams.

Kings XI could be that incarnation for this year’s Indian Premier League. They are extremely dangerous with a blade in hand.

At the top of the order KL Rahul and Chris Gayle are making the Chris Lynn-Brendon McCullum axis from the Heat, labelled the Bash brothers, look like 14-year-old schoolboys huffing to get it off the square.

Rahul is the fastest scoring opener early in his innings and Gayle is living up to the nickname Universe Boss. Against Kolkata Knight Riders on Saturday they faced a stern test. Set 192 to win against a spin-heavy attack, they didn’t even sweat.

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Rahul made 60 from 27 balls and Gayle 62 from 38 as with the little help of some rain they won with nine wickets to spare. Easy. We’re still a little sore that Gayle pipped our Rahul top-scorer bet by two but there you go.

This win took Kings to the top of the table. On Monday they face a chaotic Delhi Daredevils team who are bottom of the pile having lost their face-off against fellow strugglers Bangalore later on the same day.

Kings have a formidable batting line-up (Picture: IPL)

Glenn Maxwell is yet to fire for Delhi (Picture: Getty)

It could be a massacre if Kings were to bat first. Delhi’s bowling is truly awful and it would be a major surprise if they didn’t conceded 180-plus every time they bowl first from now on, bar one outlier. Against Bangalore they made 174 but were beaten bang on 18 overs.

Given the form of the two teams it is strange indeed to see the layers not affording Kings more respect. They are best at 3-4 with Betfair Sportsbook. We were expecting about 8-13. That’s a perfectly acceptable bet if you’ve got deep pockets.

But we are again wowed by the price about a ton. BetVictor go 17-2 that someone raises three figures and given the batting talent on show, and the lack of class bowlers (Kings are hardly miserly) we think it’s value.